Category Archives: Translations

All Days Are Lucky Days

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, ,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 116–120) by Koji Sato, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

All Days Are Lucky Days

In Japan today it is customary to plan a wedding on an auspicious day and avoid certain days that are considered unlucky. The same goes for funerals, as certain days are considered inappropriate. Such long-held customs emerged when the Chinese calendar that was brought to Japan took on a life of its own and began to regulate the lives of the Japanese people.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 32

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, ,

The following is a translation of Part 32 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the August 2005 (No. 440) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 32: Vivid Instances of Divine Protection

In 1888, Yone Suzuki began to listen to the teachings of Tenrikyo after her child succumbed to illness. While her faith grew, her child’s condition did not completely improve. She was then encouraged to have faith together with her husband, so her husband Hanjiro also lent his attention to the teachings, six months after the fragrance was transmitted to her.

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The Core of Heaven is Tsukihi

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 113–115) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

The Foundation of This World is Heaven; the Core of Heaven is Tsukihi

It is my assumption that like in the past, many people even today were adherents of other faiths before they were guided to the path. There were even predecessors taught directly by Oyasama who were former followers of Buddhism or Ubusuna-gami. People at that time often visited several reputable places of worship to make prayers to receive blessings and benefits. Among our predecessors were people who, during their visits to such places of worship, heard the reputation of the “living goddess of childbirth,” before deciding to go.

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Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 50

Honseki: Anecdotes, Translations,

50. Remembering Modesty and Refusing to Succumb to Extravagance

Oyasama once told Izo not to worry over the future, that there would come a time when he could not endure hardships even if he wished to. This truly was the case when Izo became the Honseki. This was possibly because God the Parent accepted the sincerity he dedicated to the path. However, it is also possible to say that this was so because followers who did not have the opportunity to meet Oyasama firsthand when She was physically present made sincere efforts to serve and please the Honseki in Her stead.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 31

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, , , ,

The following is a translation of Part 31 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the July 2005 (No. 439) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 31: A Sake Cup with Mirin

Circa 1881, Ito Masuno became afflicted with sokohi,1 an eye disease. She completely lost her sight three years later. She regularly went to a hospital that went by the name of Taylor but showed no signs of a recovery.

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  1. Refer to the endnote from the previous Footsteps (Part 30: “I Accept the Mind You Have Settled”) for my discussion on sokohi. ↩

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles of the Mind

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, , ,

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 111–113) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles of the Mind

We human beings can spend our lives joyously and with delight because God the Parent granted us the free use of our minds. On the other hand, we may find ourselves suffering from the misfortune of illness or another difficult situation.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 30

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, ,

The following is a translation of Part 30 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the June 2005 (No. 438) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 30: “I Accept the Mind You Have Settled”

Rin Masui was raised as the only child of prestigious household in Kawachi. She married a man who was adopted into her family and was blessed with children. She lived a happy life free from worries and misfortune. However, in the year she turned 30, she was at a loss of having to look after her three children alone after both her father and husband suddenly passed away. She herself succumbed to an eye disease known as sokohi1 and completely lost her vision.

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  1. Sokohi appears to have been used to refer to a number of eye ailments, leading to a lack of consensus in the translations from Anecdotes of Oyasama (whose 200 selections were divided and translated by several people). Sokohi has been variously rendered in the English Anecdotes as “amaurosis” (24, p. 17); “glaucoma” (36, p. 29); “cataracts” (115, p. 96); and simply “eye disease” (145 , p. 117). ↩

Great Salvation

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, ,

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 97–102) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Great Salvation

Japan presently prides at being the nation with the longest average lifespan in the world. The increasing survival rate from tuberculosis after World War II and the decrease in infant mortality are considered contributing factors to this statistic.

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